Community Band Played Holiday Classics

by Jonathan Weaver

Before the holiday weekend began, musicians part of the Kittanning Community Band put local residents in a festive mood with a performance at Armstrong Junior/Senior High School in Manor Township.

About 200 residents attended the nearly-hour long performance in the school’s auditorium – admittedly a crowd that didn’t fill the large auditorium, but still made an impression on Band Director Jason Venesky.

“It’s such a big space – this bottom section (alone) holds about 750 people – so 200 people is literally just a drop in the hat but I was really pleased with the attendance,” Venesky said. “There were people I’ve never seen come to one of these concerts that I saw (Thursday).”

It was the band’s first performance on the high school stage for the nearly-60 person ensemble, but for the half-dozen high school musicians and Venesky, it was their second performance of the week. The performance also included retired Kittanning Senior High Band Director Pat Cavanaugh on the timpani drums.

However, one notable musician was not on stage due to recovering from a knee replacement – baritone player Mary Buchanan – who graduated from Kittanning Senior High more than 60 years ago. Buchanan, who was inspired to join the band by former classmate and French horn player Frank Baker, sat in the audience Thursday with husband, Dick.

“I learned under (James V. Colonna) at Kittanning High School back in the `50s,” Buchanan said. “I was one of the members of the very first all-girls Kittanning High School band. The all-boys band had a real good reputation and they found there were some girls that wanted to play instruments, so we started an all-girls band.

“After I graduated some years, then they combined them into the one band.”

Daughter, Vicki, bought Buchanan a second-hand baritone – which she now uses until returning to her daughter in North Carolina.

Co-Founder Leslie Wolfe was proud to announce that the band received a nearly-$1,000 from the nonprofit Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance in Loretto (Cambria County).

“We happened to hear about it through the grapevine, went and learned more about it at a session at the Kittanning library,” Wolfe said. “Our grant is called ‘Promoting Musicality and Concert Band Music throughout Armstrong County.’ It’s going to help us with a little bit of equipment that we need.”

The Kittanning Concert Band – which performed such tunes as “Jingle Bell Rock, and music from the animated television staple “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and ballet “The Nutcracker” - models off of the Kittanning Firemen’s Band due to the latter bands’ success.

The band performed in 2016 in both Ford Cliff and West Kittanning as well, and Leslie hopes to expand to six concerts in 2017 to also help recruit musicians.

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